Russia Emphasizes Need for Negotiations in Middle East Crisis

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. Russia emphasizes that the man-made crisis in the Middle East can only be resolved through negotiations and that achieving lasting peace and security in the region is crucial, the Foreign Ministry said.

"The sides held a detailed discussion of the current situation in the Middle East, focusing on the Persian Gulf. The Russian side stressed the importance of establishing lasting and sustainable peace and security in the region. It also emphasized that there is no alternative to resolving the man-made crisis and the existing differences exclusively through negotiations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said following a meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Oded Joseph. The sides also discussed other pressing international and regional issues of mutual interest.

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum of understanding calling for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, on the night of July 8, the United States resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing Tehran of violating the terms of the agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, about 25% of global oil trade and roughly 20% of liquefied natural gas trade passed through the strait.